The Gabenath Shipper Project
by Alexannah
Summary: Gabriel and Nathalie are in love. Everyone can see it except the two of them. As Valentine's Day approaches, Adrien rounds up some friends to try and get their ship sailing. Miraculous Valentines Prompts fic. COMPLETE!
1. Recruitment

**Canon/Spoilers:** Takes place a while after Félix

**Ships:** Gabriel/Nathalie, obviously, with some Love Square hints

**Author's Notes:** This is a series of drabbles/ficlets written for the Miraculous Valentines Prompts 2020. They're not in order and some of the chapters answer two prompts. Ideally I want to post one every day until completion, but they're not all written so I can't promise my concentration will allow that. However I will do my best!

First chapter prompts: Love/Crush

* * *

**The Gabenath Shipper Project**

By Alexannah

**Chapter One: Recruitment**

"_I've seen how close you and Nathalie have become …"_

Gabriel resisted the urge to groan as Adrien's words rang in his head for the thousandth time since that conversation.

He knew it was absolute nonsense. If Adrien knew about his secret project, he would understand _how_ ridiculous it was. Gabriel had found himself wondering more about trying to tell him, now as much to get this absurd ideas about him and Nathalie out of his head as for the other reasons.

But every time he found a moment, Adrien would give him a knowing look and start babbling about Nathalie. Not outrightly addressing his ludicrous assessment of Gabriel and Nathalie's relationship, but clearly trying to steer his father in _that_ direction. It was all Gabriel could do to stop himself blurting out his secret; that was no way to break it to him. Instead he was forced to remove himself from the conversation. Which only seemed to reaffirm Adrien's erroneous conclusion that the two of them were—were—

He couldn't even bring himself to think it.

Every time Gabriel looked at Adrien, and saw that grin on his face, he remembered how this whole thing had started. Even right now, when they were standing in Adrien's classroom surrounded by his peers.

He forcefully looked away from his son, and brought his mind back to the present. (Coming here in person had clearly been a mistake, despite his promise to Nathalie that he would make more of an effort to attend things for Adrien in person.)

_Oh no_, he thought as movement caught his eye_._ Adrien was raising his hand …

* * *

Nathalie finished her talk, and there was a slight pause before the applause. Did the students normally clap on Career Day?

Or maybe this was an expression of appreciation that, since Gabriel had missed the _actual_ Career Day some months back, the two of them had come in to give a joint presentation on the fashion industry after Adrien, his teacher, at least two of his classmates and the school principal had between them made about a dozen requests.

"Does anyone have any questions for Mr Agreste or Ms Sancoeur?" Miss Bustier addressed the class.

Half of the class raised their hands, including Adrien, to Nathalie's surprise.

The first few questions weren't anything unexpected. Marinette Dupain-Cheng asked several, which Gabriel answered. A very quiet girl with purple hair mumbled a question so quietly her friend had to translate.

"Er … Adrien?" Gabriel finally relented when he was the only one with his hand still in the air.

"The question's for Nathalie," Adrien said, sounding suspiciously smug, and Nathalie suddenly had a very bad feeling. "What's it like working for my father?"

"_Adrien!_" she and Gabriel both spluttered.

He didn't look in the least bit cowed. "What?" he asked in far too innocent a voice. "What did I say?"

One of his classmates that Nathalie recognised from the Ladyblog also raised her hand. "I'd like to hear the answer as well," she said.

All eyes turned to Nathalie, who felt her face heat up with alarm. Gabriel turned to look at her expectantly, and that only made it ten times worse.

"Er …"

The full honest answer was far too complicated, far too personal, and far too secret to relate in front of all these people. Or even Gabriel alone.

If she tried listing the things she enjoyed about the job, she was sure that she would end up giving away her feelings for him. Allowing Gabriel to know she had fallen in love with him would be bad enough, without doing so _publicly_.

Well … the best defence was a good offence. She mentally apologised to her boss for what she was about to do.

"Oh, he's an absolute slave-driver," she said lightly. Gabriel's jaw dropped, and the class burst into giggles. "Toughest boss in the world. But I get to live in a mansion, and his son's a real sweetheart." She winked at Adrien, who blushed slightly, looking pleased.

Gabriel frowned at Nathalie. "Are you saying the only reasons you work for me are free board and Adrien?"

"Of course not. I was teasing. You have your qualities too."

He quirked an eyebrow. "And they would be?"

"Er …" _Oops, how did I get here?_ "Well … there's … your passion, and dedication, and … er …"

His face was now as red as she was sure hers was. A _very_ awkward silence fell.

"Any more questions?" Nathalie asked, turning away quickly.

She was greeted with a stunned silence.

"In that case, we should get going," Gabriel said.

* * *

Adrien jumped to his feet as soon as the door had closed behind them, grinning manically. "You all saw that, right?"

"Dude," Nino said, sounding impressed. "Your dad and his assistant are so _totally_ crushing on each other."

"Aww, it's so beautiful," Miss Bustier said, wiping her eyes. "Adrien, are they …"

"Not yet," Adrien said.

"Why the heck not?" Alix demanded. "That romantic tension's so thick you'd need an _axe_ to cut it!"

"Because my father is at the bottom of the diving end of the denial pool," Adrien said. "And he's too stubborn to learn to swim."

"Nice metaphor," Alya said. Kim gave Adrien an approving thumbs up.

"Thanks. And I think Nathalie's convinced he could never see her in that way, despite all the hints I've been dropping."

"Sounds like you need some help," Marinette suggested.

"Funny you should say that." Adrien pulled a letter out of his pocket. "Because someone gave me an idea."

"An idea?"

"Who?"

"Don't know." Adrien handed it to Nino, who read it before passing it around the class.

"Whoever it is, they really can't spell," Alya commented.

"It must be someone in your household, if it's printed on _Gabriel_ stationary," Marinette pointed out.

"I asked my bodyguard if he had sent it, but he swears he didn't. He likes the idea, though. I have no idea who else could have had access."

"They wouldn't have necessarily needed access to your dad's printer," Chloé pointed out. "My parents, for example, have had letters and stuff from Mr Agreste many times. He could have simply sent a spare page by accident once."

"You're saying it was your parents?" Sabrina asked.

"Of course not. I already asked them."

Adrien nodded. "And I asked Kagami and her mother as well. It didn't come from them."

"But they're all on board," Chloé said.

"Wait a moment, Adrien," Miss Bustier said. "What exactly _is_ this idea?"

Adrien grinned. "Well, you know how Valentine's Day is coming up …"

**To Be Continued …**


	2. Setup

**AN:** Chapter prompt: Cupid

* * *

**Chapter Two: Setup**

"Well," Nooroo said to Duusu once they were alone. "_That_ was an interesting morning."

She whizzed around the room, giddy with glee. "Such a good question he asked! I _told_ you contacting Adrien would be a good idea!"

"We don't know he'll be able to pull it off."

"Of course he will! Didn't you see how they all reacted? Now he'll have more allies than he'll know what to do with!"

"Let's just hope it hasn't embarrassed them both into deeper denial," Nooroo said.

* * *

"Your dad likes cheesy puns?" Marc asked in amazement. "I would never have guessed."

"Nor would I, actually," Adrien said. "But I've heard him use a couple when talking to Nathalie, and she smiled."

_Something we have in common,_ he thought idly. _Using puns to flirt with the one we love. Good thing it's more effective on Nathalie than it is on Ladybug._

"What else?" Marc asked.

"Well … he's not really good with emotion. So it should sound kind of awkward. If it's too … competently romantic … she's going to know he didn't write it."

"Well, I'll do my best," Marc said. "Though you know love letters aren't really my forte."

"That's fine. They're not my father's either."

* * *

"Adrien, please stand back a bit," Alya said, putting a firm hand on his shoulder. "You're putting the artist off."

"Oh—sorry, Marinette." He drew back. "Better?"

"Much, thanks Adrien."

Really, having the two of them present while she worked was still off-putting, but she needed them both there. Adrien to vet her imitation, and Alya to step in if he became too much of a distraction for her to concentrate.

After half an hour of painstaking effort in complete silence, Marinette held the result up to the light. "Well? How's this?"

Adrien took it and examined it closely, an impressed smile breaking over his face. "It's amazing, Marinette. You'd make a great forger."

"Good thing I'm not criminally minded," Marinette said with a giggle. "Thank you."

"I would have a _really_ tough time telling this apart from my father's real handwriting."

"But what about Nathalie?" Alya asked. "She probably knows it better than you do."

Adrien considered. "Probably, but I _know_ it's a forgery and can't see the difference; she _won't_ know. This is really excellent work, I really doubt she'll be able to tell either. Besides, she'll _want_ to believe it's from him, won't she? And people see what they want to see."

* * *

"Bad news," were Chloé's first words when Adrien picked up the phone.

"What? What bad news?"

"I talked to Daddy, and he says sorry but the hotel's already all booked up for Valentine's Day. It always gets booked up _months_ in advance. What about a restaurant?"

"No, no, no," Adrien replied, starting to panic. "That won't work."

"Why not? There might still be some not booked up already."

"Even if there are, that's not the problem. You _know_ what my father's like! It's like pulling teeth to get him to leave the house at all; it's ten times more difficult to get him to go somewhere that's not familiar to him. And Mrs Tsurugi isn't so different."

"She's not going, though. It's just a ruse to get him and Nathalie there."

"A ruse which my father won't buy if it's not plausible!"

"_Oh._ Point taken. Well … there's still a table free for the thirteenth," Chloé said.

"The night before?"

"Yeah. That might be better, actually, won't it? They might be too suspicious if it's actually _on_ Valentine's Day. Especially after all your hints and stuff."

"Oh." Adrien hadn't thought of that. "Yeah, that makes sense. Could you get your dad to make the reservation, then?"

"I'm on it."

* * *

"I think it's a beautiful idea," Marlene said, smiling at Alya and Adrien.

"So you can do it?"

"I don't see why not, if André is on board?"

They all looked around.

He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes. "Of course, of course!"

"Great! Thank you both so much!" Adrien said enthusiastically.

"Do you need to meet them beforehand?" Alya asked André.

"No, no. I already know which combination will be perfect!"

* * *

Tom pulled out a heart-shaped cutter. "Which flavours do you think?"

Adrien considered. "Can you do rose flavour?"

"Rose? Oh yes, we can do that!"

"Rose and raspberry, then," Adrien said.

"It's such a sweet idea, Adrien," Sabine said. "You're obviously a big romantic."

"I guess I am," he said, not noticing how flushed Marinette's face went, not even after both of her parents glanced in her direction.

His phone beeped, and he looked down at the new text. "That was Chloé. Her butler's put in the order at her favourite confectioners'."

"Just how many people have you roped into this project?" Tom asked.

"I rather lost count," Adrien admitted. "If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment at the florist …"

**To Be Continued …**


	3. Primed

**AN:** Chapter prompt: Secret Admirer

* * *

**Chapter Three: Primed**

Nathalie set her morning coffee down on her desk, and paused in surprise.

A red envelope sat on her keyboard, her name on the front in Gabriel's handwriting. She looked around, but couldn't see him.

Strange. He left her notes on occasion, but usually just on post-its. What could this be about?

She opened the envelope in curiosity, bringing out a piece of cream writing paper.

_My dearest Nathalie—_

She yelped and dropped it in shock. _What?_

_You are a very special person. I am lucky to have you in my life. You are my best friend and I treasure that, but I wish for more. Instead of a Pal-entine, will you be my Valentine?_

It was signed only with three kisses.

Slightly awkwardly expressed emotion with a cheesy pun? It read like something he might write. But certainly not to _her!_ If it hadn't been for her actual name on it, she would have assumed it was an old love letter he had written to his wife. But there was no way "Emilie" could be misread as "Nathalie", especially not in his fancy handwriting.

Wait a moment …

Nathalie held the letter up to the light and examined the writing very closely.

It _looked_ like Gabriel's. But there was something not _quite_ right about it, which she couldn't put her finger on …

_Aha!_ There. The kisses were wrong. They had been written as most people wrote "x", as just two crossing lines. Gabriel, being the theatrical type he was, curled the ends of his Xs. Whoever had faked this—otherwise _very_ impressively—had clearly not had access to any examples of him having written that letter.

Nathalie couldn't help feeling disappointed, though she knew she shouldn't be. She tried to put her emotions aside and focus on who could have written such a letter. Obviously someone who knew Gabriel well, but she couldn't think of anyone who had _that_ kind of skill to fake his handwriting within that category.

"Morning, Nathalie," Adrien's voice said brightly.

She jumped, and quickly pushed the letter out of sight. "Morning, Adrien." Not quickly enough, though.

"What's that?" he asked. "An early Valentine?"

"Er …" Nathalie cleared her throat. "No. No, nothing like that. Just some … correspondence from … an old friend."

"Uh-huh." He clearly didn't believe her, and a suspicion started to grow in her mind. "While we're on the subject, do you have any plans for Valentine's Day?"

Nathalie almost laughed. "No, Adrien, I don't. Do you?"

"Me? Um, no. None at all. Not in the least."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Positive," he insisted, but she knew him well enough to know he was lying.

Maybe he had finally realised he and Miss Dupain-Cheng were head over heels for each other. Well, it was about time. She decided not to push things by asking more questions; the relationship was probably very new and they weren't ready to tell people yet.

"Ah, well," she said, pretending to believe him. "Maybe next year. Hadn't you better be getting ready for school?"

Once he had gone, Nathalie stared after him, now puzzled.

_Adrien_ couldn't be responsible for the letter … could he? She was positive he couldn't have written it himself—but Marinette was certainly talented enough.

The question was _why_. It couldn't be a prank; this wasn't Adrien's style. The only reason she could think of was if … if he was trying to set her up with his father.

_Oh, Adrien,_ she thought with a groan. _If that's your plan, you're going to be very disappointed._

She had to admit, she was touched at the thought. But also worried. This could backfire spectacularly.

Nathalie was halfway out of her seat, a mind to warn Gabriel what his son might be up to … then sat back down again.

_He'll probably overreact. Once Adrien sees it didn't work, he should realise it's not going to. There's no need to make their relationship worse by telling Gabriel. Besides, it would be incredibly embarrassing for him as well. And … there's every chance that if this becomes a discussion, he could figure out how much I wish it __were__ possible._

No … she wouldn't say anything.

* * *

Gabriel was making his way downstairs when he heard his son speak.

"… have any plans for Valentine's Day?"

Nathalie answered, "No, Adrien, I don't. Do you?"

"Me? Um, no. None at all. Not in the least."

"Really?"

"Positive."

"Ah, well. Maybe next year. Hadn't you better be getting ready for school?"

Gabriel wasn't sure why he had paused to listen, and shook himself.

He had forgotten that Valentine's Day was coming up. Last year he had dealt with the ordeal by looking for, and then akumatizing, a victim. For some reason, the thought of spending another February the fourteenth apart from Emilie didn't feel as traumatic this time.

He must have become desensitised to the romantic holiday.

Adrien had disappeared, and Nathalie appeared to be in a world of her own. Gabriel cleared his throat.

She jumped, quite violently. "Mr Agreste! Sorry, I didn't hear you."

"That's alright." He paused. "I thought I heard Adrien mention Valentine's Day."

For some reason, she blushed. "Er … yes, he mentioned it. Why?"

Gabriel hastily searched around for an excuse. "Well, if you need any time off for anything—"

"No," she said very quickly. "No, I don't have anything planned."

For some reason he had the urge to reply "Good," and stopped himself quickly. Where had that come from? Nathalie deserved a love life as much as anyone.

"Right," Gabriel said, now feeling very awkward and confused at his own inner thoughts. "Well, if that changes, let me know."

"Yes, sir."

**TBC …**


	4. Unfolding

**AN:** Chapter prompts: Candy/Be Mine

* * *

**Chapter Four: Unfolding**

Gabriel stared at a blank page, his pencil hovering, waiting for inspiration.

He didn't usually take commissions from people who weren't regular clients, but when a big name asked, it was hard to turn down. Though he wasn't entirely sure why Jagged Stone had come to _him_. Their styles weren't really complimentary.

"But you're my favourite designer's favourite designer," the rock star had said with a grin when Gabriel had pointed this out. "And she has complete faith in your skill, so I do as well."

"And who is your favourite designer?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I believe you know her too?"

Of course Gabriel knew the extremely talented girl who had won his competition. He had no doubt that one day her name would be at least as big as, if not even bigger, than his own.

"Yes, I do. But may I ask why you're not asking her?"

"She's still at school; she's got far too much on her plate at the moment. I asked her to recommend someone, and she immediately pointed me in your direction."

He was flattered, but also hesitant.

It wasn't as if Jagged Stone was asking him to design him something for a show. It was far more personal a commission than that. All the same, Gabriel wasn't sure he was the designer for the job.

The doorbell made him jump. Gabriel sighed and set down his pencil. Maybe stretching his legs would help.

As he approached his atelier door when he heard a muffled voice say, "Special delivery for Nathalie Sancoeur." A moment later the front door closed again.

Gabriel opened the door to find Gorilla there with his fist raised, ready to knock. "That's for Nathalie?" He received a nod in return. "She's upstairs. I'll put it on her desk."

The delivery was a dark brown box tied with gold ribbon; wide and flat. The gold lettering told him it was from one of the most expensive luxury chocolatiers in Paris.

He placed it on her desk, glanced around to make sure no-one was around, then opened the card, his curiosity getting the better of him. His eyes widened.

In gold calligraphy it read:

_The moment we met I knew we had a confection._

_Your secret admirer xxx_

Nathalie had a secret admirer?

For some reason the thought caused a weird sensation in his stomach.

Well … it shouldn't have been a surprise. She was a wonderful person; if she had more of a social life she would probably be inundated with admirers. As it is, her job didn't leave a lot of spare time; something he frequently tried to address, but she seemed to be allergic to taking any time off.

But she'd obviously made an impression on someone. Well, not that Nathalie Sancoeur really needed a lot of time to make an impression on anyone. She was a very beautiful person, both inside and out.

Gabriel moved back to his desk and took out his diary, then hesitated. He knew he should give Nathalie an opportunity to have a date on Valentine's Day if her secret admirer found his feelings returned. But for some reason he had the mad urge to fill up the whole day with essential tasks.

He shook his head, and scolded himself for even thinking it. In underlined letters he made a note on the fourteenth to keep Nathalie's schedule flexible.

The door opened just as he put his diary back down, and his assistant walked in.

"Nathalie, you received a special delivery," he tried to say in a neutral voice.

"Oh—thank you, sir," she said, sounding a little puzzled.

"It's on your desk."

She turned towards it, and stopped dead when she saw the box.

"Aren't you going to open it?"

Nathalie slowly reached out and took off the lid. Inside was several dozen heart-shaped chocolates, the middle ones iced to spell out _Be My Valentine_.

"Oh, no," she groaned.

Gabriel blinked, taken aback. "Nathalie, is something wrong?"

"What?—No, nothing." She quickly closed the box and placed it back on the desk, her cheeks flushed.

"Aren't they your favourites?" he asked.

"Yes," she muttered, still very red.

"Do you … er … have any idea who they're from?"

"Unfortunately, yes," she muttered. "I know _exactly_ who sent them."

He waited, but she didn't seem keen to elaborate.

It seemed whoever the mysterious admirer was, she did not feel the same way. Gabriel couldn't understand why he felt relieved about that. He wasn't such a slave-driver as to resent Nathalie taking any time off, no matter what she had said about him in Adrien's classroom.

"Oh. Well … I suppose there's no sense in letting good chocolates go to waste."

"If you wanted one, you only had to ask," Nathalie said, holding the box out to him.

That wasn't what he had meant at all, but Gabriel helped himself anyway. "Thank you."

* * *

"I'd have preferred a box of gourmet cheese," was Plagg's helpful contribution after Adrien read out the texted confirmation his second 'anonymous' Valentine gift had been delivered.

"You're in the minority," Adrien replied. "Would it be too much of a giveaway if I went downstairs to see her reaction?"

"You're not exactly great at subtle. I'd resist the temptation if I were you."

"Ahh, you're probably right." Adrien flopped back on his bed, grinning at the thought of their plan coming together. "Anyway, there'll be more opportunities."

"Ever think maybe you're going overboard?"

"Nope," Adrien said confidently.

"What if it doesn't work?"

"Nathalie's being introduced to the concept of my father returning her feelings; and _he's_ getting jealous, you can see it a mile away. Of course it'll work! What could possibly go wrong?"

Plagg groaned. "You shouldn't have said that."

There was a sharp knock on his bedroom door. "Adrien, you're going to be late for school!"

"Coming! Oops," Adrien added with a bashful grin. "Forgot about that little detail."

* * *

Nathalie suppressed another groan when she laid eyes on the Valentines decorations being plastered all over the school gym, and checked her watch. Where was Adrien? He should have been out ages ago.

She had been wrestling with herself all day whether to have a word with him about this wild idea of his. As sweet as she found his intentions, she knew she _had_ to put a stop to it and talk him out of his completely erroneous and naïve impression of their relationship. But for some reason she wasn't sure she could bring herself to do it.

_Adrien, your father and I are not going to fall in love no matter how many Valentines you send me pretending to be from him. Why? Because he's still in love with your mother and trying to bring her back._

Yes, that conversation would be treading on risky territory. And even if she successfully managed to avoid getting too close to the subject of Gabriel's secret plan, there was still the possibility of giving away her own feelings on the matter. Which Adrien must suspect already, but if he didn't believe her when she denied it, she had a horrible feeling it would only encourage him.

Her phone beeped, and she _did_ groan when she saw the text.

_Sorry Nathalie—forgot to tell you I'm staying late to work on a class project. Will only be about half an hour or so._

There didn't seem much point in going home and then coming back. Nathalie headed to the doors, intending to sit in the car to wait, but someone accidentally bumped into her.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Oh, no."

Nathalie knelt down to help Adrien's teacher gather up her dropped papers. "It's fine; no harm done."

"Thank you," Miss Bustier said. "Oh, it's you, Ms Sancoeur! Adrien won't be out for a little while—"

"I know; he just texted me. I was just going to wait for him in the car."

"Oh no, we can't have that! Come to the staff room and have a cup of tea. Or coffee?"

"Well … alright. Thank you."

"What do you think of the decorations?" Miss Bustier asked cheerfully as she led Nathalie back through the hall.

"Very … pretty."

"That reminds me, I don't think we've had an RSVP from you and Mr Agreste?"

Nathalie stopped dead. "Excuse me? RSVP for what?"

"Didn't you get the letter?"

"What letter?"

"Oh—I'm sorry. We're holding a party on the evening of the fourteenth. All the students' families have been invited."

Nathalie raised an eyebrow. "To a Valentine's Day party?"

"We're celebrating _all_ types of love. Including families and friendships. You and Mr Agreste were both invited. I'll get you a copy of the letter."

"I don't know if Mr Agreste will be able to make it," Nathalie said, figuring such an event would probably be the last place Gabriel would want to be on the fourteenth. He would most likely spend the whole day holed up in his lair looking for some heartbroken soul to akumatize.

"Well, I understand if he can't. Though I'm sure Adrien would love you both to be there."

"I'm not family," Nathalie felt the urge to point out.

"Maybe not by blood, but it's obvious he's extremely fond of you," Miss Bustier said with a twinkling smile.

_And I'm sure this party is exactly where he wants Gabriel and I to be on Valentine's Day_, Nathalie thought with an inward sigh.

It was going to be bad enough shattering his illusion; far worse if it happened in _public_. That settled it. She was going to _have_ to talk to him.

**TBC …**


	5. Rumbled

**AN:** Chapter prompt: Flowers.

Sorry about the gap; I wasn't well over the weekend. Hope the longer chapter makes up for the wait!

* * *

**Chapter Five: Rumbled**

"Thank you," Nathalie said gratefully as Miss Bustier handed her a cup of coffee.

"You're welcome, Ms Sancoeur."

"Nathalie, please."

"Well in that case, it's Caline." The teacher stirred her own coffee and sat down on the chair next to Nathalie's. "Thank you very much again for coming in to talk to the students."

Nathalie felt her face heat up again at the memory. "Er … least we could do, after all those requests."

"How long have you worked for Mr Agreste?"

"Twelve years. But we've known each other longer."

"I thought it must have been a long time. You're obviously very close."

Nathalie almost choked on her coffee. "Wh-what makes you say that?"

Caline Bustier smiled. "Well for one thing, the fact that you can get away with teasing him in front of a classroom full of students."

"Oh." _That._ "Yes, well … it was quite a personal question; I didn't really know how else to answer."

"I can imagine it being awkward in front of all those people."

_You don't know the half of it,_ Nathalie thought. "You could say that."

"So what's the honest answer?" Caline asked, smiling. "Just between us. I promise it won't go any further."

"Well …"

If most people had asked, Nathalie would have told them to mind their own business. But this sweet-mannered woman was surprisingly hard to be rude to.

"… it's not easy," she said slowly. "Mr Agreste can be a … challenge."

Caline raised her eyebrows. "So the 'slave-driver' comment wasn't a joke?"

"More like hyperbole. He can be quite demanding, but that's not really the issue."

"What is?"

"I'm sure you're aware that he and Adrien … don't have the greatest relationship. The hardest part of the job is trying to mediate between them without breaching professional protocol. It's almost impossible most of the time."

"You obviously care for Adrien a lot," Caline said softly.

Nathalie allowed herself to nod.

"And … for Mr Agreste too?"

A casual "Mm," felt like the safest response to that one.

"They're lucky to have you looking out for them."

"That's kind of you to say."

"It's no wonder Adrien likes you so much."

Nathalie didn't know what to say to that, so she simply took another sip.

* * *

When Adrien reached the staff room, he didn't knock, but pressed an ear to the door.

"What are you doing?" Plagg whispered.

"Shush!" Adrien grinned as he heard the sound of laughter inside.

_I knew it. Miss Bustier can befriend anyone._

In truth, this step had not been part of the plan originally, and wasn't really entirely necessary. But when Marinette had suggested it, Adrien had liked it very much. Not even because it was another opportunity to subtly point Nathalie in the direction of his father—but for the mere fact that Nathalie was severely lacking in friends outside of their household. If nothing else, this was a chance for her to make some new ones.

He stepped back and knocked on the door. "Nathalie? Are you in there?"

It opened after a moment. "Sorry, Adrien; I lost track of the time. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"Of course I am!—Wait, how did you know where I was?"

"Mr Damocles told me he'd seen you go inside with Miss Bustier," Adrien replied flawlessly.

"I'm sorry for keeping her, Adrien," Miss Bustier said, appearing in the doorway as well.

"That's okay. See you tomorrow, Miss."

It was so hard not to smile triumphantly as Nathalie and his teacher, already on first-name terms, quickly said goodbye and exchanged phone numbers.

* * *

There was no opportunity for Nathalie to talk to Adrien about his matchmaking plan on the way home; instead, she was relaying details for a last-minute photo shoot that Gabriel had just sent her details for.

_I won't get the chance afterwards, either_, Nathalie realised when she noted the expected finishing time. By then she would be getting ready for her unexpected social engagement.

"Don't dawdle," she said to Adrien when they arrived. "We're running late."

"I'll be quick!" he promised, already hurrying up the stairs.

Nathalie entered the atelier. "He's just getting ready, sir."

Gabriel looked up from his work, and nodded. "Fine. Something else arrived for you, Nathalie."

"Something else?" Nathalie turned to her desk, and her mouth fell open.

Clustered on the surface were a dozen bouquets of flowers.

_Great. I really, __really__ have to talk to Adrien. Goodness knows what else he's got planned._

They were beautiful, and well-picked; dark blue with purple and magenta accents, tied with silver ribbon. And the scent filling the room was delicately intoxicating.

"The same admirer?" Gabriel queried.

"Probably." Nathalie checked the card, and sighed.

_I really lilac you. My feelings for you grow and grow each day._

_Your secret admirer xxx_

* * *

Nathalie couldn't remember the last time she had gone out on a girls' night. It was most likely during her student years. _Oh, goodness, has it really been that long?_ she thought to herself with a groan.

Gabriel frequently called her a workaholic (very hypocritically), and he was right. She could hardly remember the last time she had taken time off work either.

Her nerves were in a tangle as she entered the bar where they had arranged to meet, looking around for a familiar face.

"Over here!" She spotted Caline waving her over.

Nathalie recognised the other two women with her, though it took a few moments to place them. The one in the cheongsam was Marinette Dupain-Cheng's mother; she had met her several times in the run-up to, and on the day of, Gabriel's last show. The pink-haired one was Jagged Stone's agent.

_I wouldn't have pegged those three for being buddies_, she thought idly, but didn't give it any more thought as she joined them.

Despite being very rusty at this, the other women did their best to put Nathalie at ease, and it worked. She found herself relaxing quickly (which was only partly to do with the Sidecar), and enjoying herself immensely. Within a short time it felt as though they had known each other for years.

Penny entertained them with several weird tales about Jagged's 'baby', Fang the crocodile. Sabine told a long and just as funny story about a misunderstood customer order which had led to a somewhat inappropriate cake being made for a five-year-old's birthday party. Caline related a story about discovering a colleague of hers (not naming any names) who had accidentally locked themselves in the school basement for an entire weekend.

In turn, Nathalie told some tales from inside _Gabriel_ about the more chaotic side of the fashion industry—accidentally damaged prototypes; tantrums from models who thought they owned the place; the time Nathalie had got concussion after a critic had thrown a stiletto at Gabriel and missed. One particular story had them all in stitches regarding Gabriel's theatrics over a dry-cleaning fiasco, which was a side to him not many people got to see.

"The next round is on me," Caline insisted once they'd all finished laughing. "No, I insist," she added as Nathalie tried to argue. "Same again, everyone?"

"I'll help you carry them," Penny said, getting to her feet.

They took a while returning because of a very talkative barman who appeared to be trying to flirt with Caline, and returned looking disgusted. "Some men!"

"What did he say?"

"It wasn't what he _said_; it was what he clearly wanted, which was to find a single woman desperate to get any old date in order to not be single on the fourteenth. I wanted to throw my drink in his face."

"I'll do it for you," Nathalie offered.

"That's sweet of you to offer, but I don't want us all to be thrown out."

Nathalie immediately made a note to do it when they were about to leave.

"Has Tom got something special planned for Valentine's Day?" Penny asked Sabine, and Nathalie tried not to groan as _that_ subject came up again. Well, she supposed it was inevitable so close to the day, and after what Caline had said.

"Oh, yes. He's keeping the details close to his chest; he insists it's a surprise every year. Whatever it is, it's always followed by ice cream at André's; and this year of course we've got the party at the school afterwards."

"I don't believe I'm familiar with André's," Nathalie said, keen to get off the subject of the party. Gabriel had read the letter with raised eyebrows, and she had expected him to immediately dismiss the idea, but for some reason he had said he needed time to think about it.

"Really? Oh goodness, we have to correct that!" Sabine immediately told her about the legend of André Glacier and his magical ice cream, followed by the story of the engagement ring which had almost been swallowed, and set them all off laughing again for several minutes.

"What about you, Penny?" Sabine asked. "This is yours and Jagged's first Valentine's Day as a couple, isn't it?"

"It is," Penny replied, blushing. "He's got a gig in the evening, so we're celebrating in the morning; we're exploring the Petite Ceinture rail line. With a picnic."

"That man spoils you," Caline said, and they all giggled.

"It's where he first asked me out," Penny said. "We were running from an akuma attack and got a bit … lost."

"This sounds like a story I _have_ to hear," Nathalie said.

"It is. But first, _I_ want to know what _you_ meant when you told that sleaze that you had a boyfriend," Penny said, turning to Caline, who immediately blushed heavily. "And don't say you were lying to get him to back off, because you went as red as you're going right now when you said it."

"I …" Caline smiled down into her drink. "I _may_ have some Valentine's Day plans now."

"Ooh, do tell!"

"A couple of days ago I met this really sweet man …"

"Who?"

"He works at the Grand Paris; his name is Jean—"

They all winced as someone at the next table accidentally knocked a glass over with a loud crash, and then laughed.

"Where did you meet?" Nathalie asked.

For some reason, a moment of panic seemed to flit across Caline's face. "Er—I was at the hotel for … er … a parent-teacher thing," she finished quickly. "Anyway, it was love at first sight."

"Ahh," Sabine sighed.

"Do you have any plans, Nathalie?" Penny asked.

The million-euro question. "Well …"

They all seemed to tense expectantly.

"… I think that depends on who you ask," Nathalie finished with a sigh.

"Sorry?" Sabine asked.

Maybe it was the alcohol affecting her judgement, or just the good feeling about being around people she liked and didn't feel she had to hide her feelings from, but after a few moments' consideration, Nathalie decided to tell them.

"Adrien is trying to set me up with his father."

Maybe she should have waited a moment before saying that, because Caline, Penny and Sabine all choked on their drinks.

"Wh-what?" Penny asked, as the three of them exchanged strange looks. "What makes you say that?"

"He's been sending me anonymous Valentines which are supposedly from Gabriel."

"Maybe they _are_ from Mr Agreste," Caline suggested. "How can you be so sure they aren't, if they're anonymous?"

"It started off with a love letter in Gabriel's handwriting. Or at least it was supposed to _look_ like his handwriting, but it wasn't."

Sabine raised her eyebrows. "You … think it was forged?"

"I know it was. I think Adrien's roped your daughter into helping him."

"Oh. Well, Marinette _is_ a romantic as well," Sabine said. "I'm sure neither of them meant any harm by it."

"No, of course not. But he followed it up with gifts of chocolate and flowers … I know I need to talk to him, but I don't know how to tell him that it's not going to work."

The others glanced at each other. There was a short but awkward silence.

"Excuse me," Sabine said, getting to her feet. "I've just remembered I have to call Tom about something. Back in a minute."

* * *

Adrien had just got into bed when his phone buzzed. He sat up and reached for it, then frowned when he saw the caller.

"Mrs Dupain-Cheng?"

"We have a problem, Adrien," Sabine said.

"What? What problem?"

"Nathalie knows what you're up to. Something must have given it away."

"Sh-she knows?" Adrien smacked himself in the forehead. "Oh, no!"

"Don't panic, dear. Let us handle it. She has no idea any of us know about the plan, so we'll see if we can steer her in the right direction."

"Thanks. But … if you can't?"

"Then we'll have to come up with a Plan B. But let us try some damage control first."

* * *

"Do you want it to work?"

Nathalie's head shot up. "What?"

"It's just … the way you were talking about Mr Agreste earlier … it sounded like …" Caline trailed off.

_Like I want to be with Gabriel_, Nathalie thought as Sabine returned.

"Is it that obvious?" she half-whispered.

"Um …" _That's a yes, clearly._ "… Only to us very astute people," Penny finished.

"Is what obvious?" Sabine asked.

Nathalie took a deep breath, staring down at her glass. "That I … have feelings for Gabriel."

Wow. That was the first time she had admitted it out loud. Ever. She'd never had anyone to talk to about it before.

"I think if Adrien knows how I feel … it will only encourage him."

"That's understandable. But I'm not sure I understand why what Adrien's doing is a problem," Caline said.

"Because …" Nathalie hesitated, looking for the right words. "… Gabriel's not over his wife. I don't think he'll ever be able to let go."

"Never say never," Sabine said kindly, putting an arm around her shoulders.

In this case, Nathalie was pretty sure she _could_ say never. But she dared not get into why she was so sure.

"It's certainly not a possibility right now. And I'm afraid that whatever Adrien's got planned—it's just going to backfire and make things horribly awkward between all three of us. I really don't think I could—could continue working for Mr Agreste if he knows how I feel about him. I wouldn't just be losing my job; I'd be losing both of them as well."

"But you don't know how to explain that to Adrien," Penny said. Nathalie shook her head.

There was a short pause. "Why don't you let me talk to him?" Caline suggested.

"You?"

"He knows me, after all. Though if you think that's stepping out of line—"

"No—no, not at all. Thank you, Caline."

"I'll try and catch him at school tomorrow, but he doesn't actually have any classes with me. He's has Literature with me first thing the day after, though, so I can talk to him then if I don't manage it tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow _is_ Valentine's Day," Nathalie pointed.

"Yes, but he won't have a chance to do anything first thing in the morning, will he?"

Nathalie considered. With this party in the evening, she was positive whatever final move Adrien was planning to make, would be then. "Alright. But he's probably got more gifts lined up for tomorrow …"

"I'm sure you can handle it," Penny said, and the others nodded.

**TBC …**

* * *

**AN:** I'm thinking I might write that Rolling-Stone story now. And maybe Caline and Jean's meeting. Two ships I'm very fond of but haven't written anything for (yet!). But I'll finish this fic off first.

Also, sorry there's very little actual Gabenath interaction in this chapter. There will be more in the next one!


	6. Underhand

**AN:** Chapter prompts: Hearts/Pink and red

* * *

**Chapter Six: Underhand**

"Late night?" Gabriel enquired when Nathalie finally entered the atelier the next morning.

She winced. "Mm."

"What's with the sunglasses?"

"Your house is too bright."

"This has to be a first," he said, impressed. "Nathalie Sancoeur with a hangover. Colour me very intrigued. But I'm expecting Jagged Stone any minute, and he's a rather _loud_ person, so maybe you'd like to take a break?"

"Good idea," Nathalie muttered. "Thank you, sir." She left the room again, probably in search of a second cup of coffee.

The doorbell rang, and he let the rock star in.

"Mr Stone." Gabriel held out his hand to shake Jagged's, then hesitantly granted the request of a fist bump instead.

"Mr Agreste. So, where are these masterpieces?"

"Presentation of ideas," Gabriel corrected as he led him into the atelier. "I wouldn't create a prototype without first getting approval of the design."

"Right, yes; sorry. Guess I'm overexcited."

Gabriel uncovered the design board.

Not many clients were bowled over with metaphorical hearts in their eyes at the first ideas; Gabriel was used to the contemplative silence.

"Hmm." Jagged frowned a little, stepping closer. "They're very …" He waved a hand vaguely. "Can't put my finger on it."

"Do you mean that in a negative way?" Gabriel asked.

"Hang on a moment. Let me get my expert on the line." Jagged took a photograph of the design board, sent it to someone and then selected a phone number, putting it on speaker. "Marinette?"

Gabriel tried not to feel insulted.

"Yeah, I've just sent them to you. What do you think? … Mm-hm. Hang on, I'm putting you on speaker; say that again." He pressed a button and put the phone down on Gabriel's desk.

"Er … Mr Agreste?" Marinette's voice came over the phone. "May I ask what you used for inspiration?"

Feeling like he had done something wrong, Gabriel said, "Mr Stone's own style. This commission is for him, after all."

"Ah, well, I think that's the issue."

"I'm sorry?"

"They're not bad designs, sir; not at all. There's nothing really _wrong_ with them; they're just missing your own … um … uniqueness; they feel a little … forced. Does that make sense?"

Unfortunately, it did. "Yes. But as I said to Mr Stone when he approached me, I wasn't sure I was the designer for the job. Our styles are very different. When one tries to mimic someone else's, it will naturally not be the best quality."

"Yeah, but this isn't for a gig or an album cover," Jagged said. "It's a Valentine's gift."

"I'm not sure I see your point."

"Mr Agreste, what makes your designs so wonderful is your passion," Marinette said. "You pour your heart and soul into every single one. And that's very difficult when trying to mimic a style that's vastly different to your own."

"What are you saying, Miss Marinette?"

"Jagged isn't looking for something that screams rock 'n' roll. He wants something that expresses love. Perhaps … you could try designing something from the heart?"

Gabriel paused. "I … could. But considering the short time frame … If Mr Stone doesn't like what I come up with, he won't have time to find another designer."

"Sir, I know Jagged well, and I also know your work very well. I know you can do it."

"I could come back in a few hours to take a look," Jagged offered.

* * *

Nathalie winced as the doorbell rang again. She entered the atelier to answer the intercom, and found it strangely quiet. Gabriel was sketching quickly, clearly in inspiration mode, and Jagged was looking on in interest. He glanced at her, shot her a smile, and turned back to Gabriel.

She went to her desk and lifted the receiver. "Yes?"

"Special delivery for Nathalie Sancoeur."

_Big surprise_.

She left the room and collected the delivery. This time it was a pink box from the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

More proof, if Nathalie had needed it, that Marinette was in on Adrien's plan.

_Who knows, maybe if they're not already an item, this thing could bring them together_, Nathalie found herself wondering. _As long as Caline puts a stop to it before I end up having to resign out of humiliation, it would be worth it for that. He's been lovesick for months._

She opened the box to find an array of heart-shaped pink and red macaroons. The smell was mouth-watering.

_Well, no need to let them go to waste after all Marinette's effort._

Nathalie bit into a pink one, and almost choked on it in surprise at the delicate floral flavour. One of her favourites—and appropriate for Valentine's Day.

Since things were quiet in the atelier, she decided to go back in and get on with some paperwork, and almost bumped into Jagged on his way out.

"Morning, Nathalie," he said cheerfully. "Penny says hi. Nice shades, by the way."

"Thank you." They had been a present from Adrien on her last birthday. She understood that Marinette had helped him pick them out. "Tell her hi back."

"Will do. See you later then, Mr A."

Gabriel, looking a bit awkward, obliged Jagged's fist bump request, and bade him goodbye.

"I will never understand rock stars," Gabriel muttered once he had gone, then turned to Nathalie. "You know his girlfriend?"

"We went out last night with a couple of friends."

He raised his eyebrows. "_You_ went out with friends?"

"No need to sound so surprised! … Okay, fair enough; it was a surprise to me too. Adrien's teacher and I got talking yesterday while I was waiting for him, and she ended up inviting me out for a girls' night."

Gabriel smiled. "Did you have a good time?"

"Very; thank you, sir."

"Thank goodness. I've been saying for ages you need more time to relax and have fun."

"Yeah, very relaxing," Nathalie muttered as she adjusted her sunglasses.

"Is that a black eye?" He quickly stepped closer. "What happened?"

"When we were about to leave, I ordered a glass of iced water from the barman so I could throw it in his face." At Gabriel's expression, she said, "He'd behaved quite disgracefully with Caline earlier in the night."

"And how did that get you a black eye?"

"It caused quite a scene. His manager wanted to know why I'd done it, so I told her. One of the other women he'd been trying to chat up overheard, said he'd been rude to her as well; her boyfriend decided to defend her honour, and it caused a big fight to break out. Someone accidentally elbowed me."

"I take it back about you needing to get out more," Gabriel said drily. "You're clearly a public hazard, Nathalie."

"It was only a glass of water!"

He raised an eyebrow. "On the rocks, I'm guessing?"

_Damn, he knows me too well. _"Might have been."

"Speaking of ice, you should put some on that. And perhaps put some concealer on it before tonight."

Nathalie blinked. "Tonight?"

"The dinner with Mrs Tsurugi."

"Oh … right. What was that about, again?"

"You took the call," Gabriel reminded her.

"I know. But my head is still a bit fuzzy."

"You told me she was strangely evasive; all she would say was that it was of extreme importance that she meet with both of us in person."

"Oh, yeah. It's coming back to me now."

"Anyway, you'll cause another riot if you turn up to the Grand Paris with a black eye." His own eyes finally spotted the box she was holding. "_Oh_. Is that another …"

"Yes," Nathalie said, offering him one.

"Thank you," he said, taking a red one. "Mm, raspberry. Does the … er … sender … I mean … whoever it is … do they know you don't, er …?" he asked very awkwardly.

"Not yet."

"Oh."

"But I've got a plan to break it to him gently." She put the box down on her desk and sat down. "How did it go with Jagged Stone? Were the designs "rock 'n' roll" enough for him?"

"Er … too much, as it happens."

Nathalie raised an eyebrow. "_Too_ much?"

"Don't ask. Anyway, I've got some more ideas I need to work on before he comes back later to look at them."

"He left it a bit late to ask for a Valentine's commission. He and Penny have been together for six months."

"I know," Gabriel said with a sigh. "He doesn't strike me as the most forward-thinking or logical individual, though."

Nathalie's mouth twitched, remembering Penny's tale of their first 'date'. For a moment she was about to share it with Gabriel, but then her eyes fell on her long task list and she sighed.

"Nathalie, take the day off. Or at least the morning." He glanced at his watch. "What's left of it."

"I'm sure it's not _Gabriel_ policy to let your employers take time off over a hangover."

"I can make an exception for you. Especially since this is the first time in … the first time _ever_, I think."

* * *

Three hours later, Marinette's phone buzzed again.

"Everyone be quiet!" she announced to the class. "It's Jagged again."

Her classmates, Mrs Mendeleiev and Mr Damocles immediately fell silent, and she answered. "Jagged?"

"Sent you another photo, Marinette. What do you think?"

She beckoned Adrien over, and opened the photo. Her eyes widened. "_Wow_."

Adrien grinned when he saw it, looked at her and gave two thumbs-up.

"It's perfect," she said. "Amazing work, Mr Agreste."

"Are you sure?" Gabriel's voice said. "It's not very Jagged Stone."

Little did he know. Several people in the room were trying very hard not to giggle. Adrien shot Ivan, who looked close to breaking, a sharp look, and he pressed his own hand to his mouth.

"But it says love." Loud and clear. "It's absolutely perfect, sir."

"Well, I'm convinced," Jagged said. "I'll take it, Mr A."

After hanging up, Marinette passed her phone around the classroom for everyone to look at.

"You think he even realises what he did?" Alya asked when she saw the design.

"Probably not," Adrien said. "But he shouldn't need too much of a push to get there now. Everything on track for tonight?"

"One hundred percent," Max confirmed after glancing at his clipboard.

"Perfect."

**TBC …**


	7. Hiccup

**AN:** Chapter prompt: Sweethearts

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Hiccup**

Nathalie ended up taking the whole working day off.

That had not been her intention at all, but after a snooze and unusually leisurely lunch, she realised she didn't feel much like returning to her long task list. There was nothing on it that had to be done _that_ day, so she decided to take Gabriel up on his suggestion of taking the afternoon as well.

It was a very pleasant change of pace. Nathalie read for a couple of hours, had a long soak in the bath, and accepted Caline's, Penny's and Sabine's friend requests on her personal social media accounts.

When the dinner grew closer, she changed back into her work clothes, applied concealer to her eye (it didn't completely disguise the bruise, but at least made it less noticeable), and headed back downstairs.

"Hi, Nathalie!"

"Er … hello, Marinette," Nathalie responded. "What are you doing here?"

"Mr Agreste said I could come and see his piece for Jagged Stone," Marinette said brightly.

"He did?"

"Miss Marinette made an invaluable contribution to the design," Gabriel said, giving her a rare smile, then looked at Nathalie for the first time. "Oh—didn't I tell you? The Grand Paris has a dress code."

Nathalie blinked, taken aback. "Since when?"

"Mr Bourgeois said so when he called me earlier to confirm the reservation." Gabriel looked at his watch.

"Marinette can help you pick something out, Nathalie," Adrien said suspiciously quickly, giving his friend a little nudge. "It won't take long."

"Oh, yes!" Marinette said enthusiastically.

They _would_ both be in the right place to grab this opportunity, Nathalie thought in frustration, but she didn't feel she could really say no. "That's very kind of you, Marinette; thank you."

* * *

Adrien was having trouble hiding his excitement as he and his father waited for Nathalie and Marinette to return. He had been a little worried that Nathalie would put her foot down on Marinette helping her, now he knew she had cottoned onto their plan. Which was why he had ensured Gabriel was right there, figuring she would be less likely to turn down the offer under the prospect of having to explain why in front of him.

In anticipation of this moment, he had sneaked Marinette into the house two days ago when Nathalie was at a business meeting so she could take a preparational look at Nathalie's wardrobe for possible choices. Hopefully Marinette could pull off pretending not to have seen it before.

Gabriel kept checking his watch.

"I'm sure they won't be long, Father."

And they weren't, appearing on the landing a few minutes earlier. "We're here!"

"Excellent!" Gabriel stood up again, saw Nathalie, and promptly walked into a pillar.

Short of him immediately getting down on one knee, or blurting out "I love you", this was just about the best reaction Adrien could have hoped for.

"Mr Agreste, are you alright?" Nathalie said, holding up her skirt as she hurried down the stairs.

"I—I'm fine," he said, clutching his nose. "Just a little sore. Nothing broken." He looked back at her, his eyes wide. "You … you look … v-very nice."

_Is that really the best you can do, Father?_ Adrien thought, but to his delight Nathalie blushed anyway. "Thank you, sir."

"Nice choice," he whispered to Marinette, who fist-bumped him behind their backs.

The dress she had picked out suited Nathalie perfectly: navy blue satin with silver embroidery. Adrien had never even seen her wear it before. Marinette had also apparently talked Nathalie into letting her hair down; it fell around her shoulders in gentle waves.

"We'd better be going," Gabriel said, pulling himself together. "Adrien, will you see your friend out? It was good to see you again, Miss Marinette."

"Thank you, Mr Agreste. You too. Have a nice evening."

* * *

The sight of all the couples having dinner together in the Grand Paris dining room would have made Nathalie feel a lot more uncomfortable if she hadn't been there for a business dinner. Though since it wasn't actually Valentine's Day yet, she wished the hotel could have waited on the decorations (as exquisite as they were) and the romantic soundtrack.

"Good evening, Mr Agreste, Ms Sancoeur," the waiter greeted them. "This way, please."

When Gabriel saw the only free table that he was leading them to, he frowned and stopped. "There's a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"This was supposed to be a table for three. We're expecting someone else."

"Oh dear. I'm so sorry. Well—take a seat for the moment and I'll see what I can do about adding another setting. Can I get you drinks in the meantime?"

They both ordered a glass of wine, and picked up the menus. Nathalie was sure that to anyone who happened to glance at them, it would look as if she and Gabriel were there on a date. She hoped Mrs Tsurugi arrived soon, before this got awkward. Or worse, before someone snapped a photo of them and started a lot of internet rumours.

"She's late," Gabriel said, looking at his watch again. "That's not like her." He had hardly finished his sentence when his phone beeped, and he took it out. "It's Mrs Tsurugi. She said she's running a little late."

"Oh." _Great._

"She said we may as well order, since she doesn't want a starter," Gabriel said, putting his phone away.

* * *

"Their starters are almost ready," Marlene said to Adrien.

Everyone in on the plan had wanted to be at the hotel to see it come to fruition, but that was just far too many people to be able to go unnoticed. Apart from André and the hotel staff, only Adrien and Marinette were present, watching discreetly from the kitchen.

"Great." He quickly texted Kagami's mother, then looked up as she handed the plates to Jean-Simon. "Ready?"

"Do not worry, Adrien. I will time it perfectly."

* * *

Gabriel frowned. "Unbelievable."

"What's the matter?"

"Mrs Tsurugi just said she's not coming."

Nathalie froze.

A table for two. The person they were supposed to be meeting not turning up. Dinner at the Grand Paris on the night before Valentine's Day.

_Shoot!_

It was a setup. _This_ had been Adrien's plan! She hadn't seen it coming because it was a day earlier than she had expected—and because he hadn't appeared to have any hand in it at all.

_Oh, no. Now what do I do?_

What _could_ a woman do when she suddenly found herself on a date with her boss? Who did not, at least not yet, have any idea what trap they had just walked into.

_Maybe he won't realise. It's not as if he has any reason to suspect anything. I never told him anything about what Adrien's been doing. Maybe we can get away with this just being written off as a business dinner gone wrong, and everything will be fine._

"Does she say why?" Nathalie found her voice at last.

"Just that something came up." Gabriel made a noise of frustration and pocketed his phone again.

"Your starters," the waiter announced, popping up from nowhere.

"Er …" Nathalie looked at Gabriel, half-expecting, and hoping, he would explain that their plans had changed and they would be going home.

He did no such thing. Catching her eye, he said, "We've already ordered; we may as well enjoy the dinner."

Nathalie swallowed nervously. "I suppose."

"Our associate won't be coming after all," Gabriel told the waiter. "So no need to bother with the third setting."

"Yes, sir."

_You can do this,_ she told herself sternly. _It's just a business dinner. Ignore all the couples around you and the Valentine's decorations and be your professional self._

* * *

Adrien looked on in interest as André prepared the dessert bowl. "Which flavours?"

"White chocolate, red velvet, blackcurrant, and raspberry."

"Looks perfect."

So far things seemed to be going … okay. Neither Gabriel nor Nathalie had done anything overtly romantic yet (or said anything romantic, according to Jean-Simon, who was discreetly eavesdropping as much as he could); but apart from some initial nervousness on Nathalie's part, they were clearly at ease with each other now. It was rare to see Gabriel—well, either of them, actually—act so friendly with someone, especially in public. Adrien was enjoying seeing it, but he was also getting a little concerned that the dinner wasn't playing out as romantic as he had hoped.

"Maybe we should turn up the music a little?" Nino's carefully arranged playlist might be more effective if it could more easily be heard.

"I wouldn't advise it," André said. "You don't want to draw their attention to it. Let it remain a subconscious influence. André has things under control."

_I hope so_, Adrien thought. They were running out of courses for something to actually _happen_.

"I'm sure you have, André," Marinette said. "Your ice cream is magic, after all."

"I'm starting to think it might take a bit more than magic sweethearts ice cream to sort them out properly," Adrien admitted.

"There's always Plan B," Marinette pointed out.

"Plan B? You mean the party tomorrow?"

"Nope. Plan B is we all start talking to them as if they're already a couple and completely ignore their protests otherwise until they have no choice but to stop denying it."

"That might have been simpler," Adrien said, unable to stop himself laughing slightly.

"This way's more romantic, though. And we can always use Jean-Simon's photograph of them together tonight to 'prove' it to them."

"The dessert is ready," André announced.

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough if that will be required."

Adrien, Marinette, André and Marlene all watched as the bowl of ice cream was carried out to Gabriel and Nathalie's table, despite them still looking at the dessert menu. Both looked quite surprised as Jean-Simon gave them the rehearsed "on the house" and placed it between them.

Nathalie stared at it, her expression suddenly stricken, and burst into tears.

Adrien and the others all gasped.

"Nathalie! No!" Adrien stepped forwards, but André caught his arm. "This wasn't the plan!"

"Let them be, Adrien."

"But she's _crying!_"

"Trust me, your father can handle it."

Gabriel was staring at Nathalie, open-mouthed, completely frozen.

"He doesn't look like he can handle it."

**TBC …**

* * *

**AN:** Apologies for the very cruel cliff-hanger! Next chapter will be up either tomorrow, or later today, depending on if I can finish the one afterwards tonight or not. (I don't know how much I'll be able to write tomorrow, and since that's actually Valentine's Day, I want something to be able to post then.)


	8. Revelation

**AN:** Chapter prompt: Heartbreak.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Revelation**

"N-Nathalie?" Gabriel stammered, sounding aghast, as well as very confused.

She hated herself for breaking down, but couldn't help it. For most of the dinner she'd been able to stop thinking about what had brought them here and just enjoyed spending some time with her best friend in a purely social situation. But the moment she'd seen the ice cream, the realisation of why it was there had hit her hard, and brought with it the full weight of her emotions regarding Adrien's matchmaking attempt.

Nathalie grabbed her napkin and tried desperately to hide her tears behind it, but it was too late to hide from Gabriel.

"What's wrong?" he asked, reaching a hand out to her. "Nathalie?"

"I'm s-sorry … I d-didn't mean to …" She couldn't figure out how to finish her sentence.

He took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her cheeks as she struggled to get her tears under control. "What is it? Please, talk to me."

What on earth could she say now? No plausible lie over what had upset her came to mind. And even if it had, Gabriel knew her well enough to be able to see through whatever excuse she made.

She didn't have a choice but to tell the truth … at least part of it, and hope he didn't read too much into her reaction.

"It's just … all of this … it's t-too much," she said, stumbling over her words as she tried to get them right in her head.

"I don't understand …"

Nathalie took a deep breath. "This was all Adrien's doing."

"I'm sorry?"

"The love letter, the flowers, the sweets, and now this—all of it—my 'secret admirer'; it's all him."

Gabriel's eyes widened. "Er … Nathalie, I really don't think that's correct. Adrien certainly does not think of you in that way."

She couldn't help but laugh slightly. "That's not what I meant! He wanted me to think it was all from _you_."

"Oh. _Oh._"

"I should have stopped him right at the beginning; I just had no idea he was going to go this far and—and I didn't want to make a scene—"

"You're saying Adrien's trying to …" Gabriel hesitated to finish his sentence.

"Set us up together. Yes," she whispered. "This is my fault; I should have spoken to him before …"

"Er …" Gabriel shifted awkwardly in his seat. "I think this is actually _my_ fault."

"What?"

"I should have told him the truth that day."

It took Nathalie a moment to realise what he meant. "Why didn't you?"

"When I told him I had something to tell him, he, er … greatly misunderstood what I meant." Gabriel cleared his throat. "He thought I was about to tell him that—er, that you and I were …"

Nathalie's eyes widened. "_Oh._"

For a long moment they both sat there in very awkward silence. She had no idea what to say now. They both knew that Adrien's plan was impossible, and now it was out in the open between them … well, the easy atmosphere between them from before the delivery of the ice cream had evaporated.

Gabriel's eyes moved to the dessert bowl, and he frowned. "I don't understand … why …? It looked like the ice cream was what actually triggered …"

Nathalie swallowed. "Because if I know the way Adrien thinks, then I know whose ice cream it is."

"Isn't it supposed to be ours?"

"I mean who made it."

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"You haven't heard the legends about André Glacier's matchmaking ice cream, then."

Gabriel stared at her for a moment. "M-matchmaking?"

Nathalie nodded. "The stories say that … th-that any couple who shares it … will stay in l-love forever."

Gabriel looked back down at the ice cream bowl. "Oh," he said quietly.

She couldn't bring herself to look back at the ice cream, and instead stared down at her empty table setting. The tears were threatening again, and she blinked furiously, determined not to lose control again. But it was made much harder when she could feel his eyes on her again.

_Please stop looking at me,_ she silently begged.

She needed to get out of here. Before he saw too deeply behind her walls and realised the full truth. Nathalie no longer caused about causing a scene; she just wanted to get away from Gabriel as fast as possible, to escape until she could recompose herself.

Before she could stand up, however, Gabriel spoke again, and his words shattered her.

"Nathalie … d-do you have feelings for me?"

_Oh, no. No, no, no, no!_

It was a moment before she realised she had spoken aloud.

"Y-you … don't?"

Nathalie cursed the power of wishful thinking; he actually sounded _disappointed_.

"I … n-no, not like that!" she denied. "I-I mean—y-you're my boss, and my friend—not in that order—and you know that I …" _I'd die for your happiness,_ she thought, but managed to stop herself from blurting out. Because although he was already aware of that fact, actually voicing it right now would certainly sound like a complete contradiction to her denial. She couldn't find another way to finish her statement, and her voice trailed off.

She jumped slightly as Gabriel's finger found her chin, gently lifting it. Nathalie didn't want to meet his eyes right now, but she couldn't help it. The expression in his own was … strange; she couldn't read it.

"Are you sure?" he asked, very quietly.

A traitorous tear slipped from her eye and ran down her cheek.

"P-please," Nathalie whispered, "stop." _Stop asking me. Please._

He held her gaze for a moment, then let go, and she let her head drop again. Her eyes fell on the ice cream.

"I can't eat that with you," she said quietly. "If Adrien sees us …" She was sure he must be here somewhere, watching them. "… well, it would be very disillusioning for him."

Gabriel was silent for a very long moment. Nathalie was trying to psyche herself up to standing up again and walking out, but her legs seemed to be frozen.

Finally he picked up one of the spoons, loaded it with the white chocolate, and held it out to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Whether the stories are true or not," he said quietly, "I don't believe Adrien will be disillusioned."

"I—what? What do you mean?"

"Because …" He hesitated, apparently unable to find the words, and just looked at her. Nathalie held his gaze willingly this time, and, very slowly, realised what emotion was filling them.

There was no need for words. Her heart began hammering and she felt her cheeks flush … but no longer from embarrassment.

Gabriel quirked his eyebrows slightly. Nathalie smiled, leaned forwards and accepted the spoonful of ice cream.

* * *

Marinette squeaked and clutched Adrien's hand. He couldn't tear his eyes away for several moments, now thrilled, as Nathalie fed Gabriel a mouthful of the blackcurrant flavour.

"We did it!" Marinette whispered.

Adrien exhaled sharply in relief and sank down onto the floor. "Th-thank goodness."

"Told you," André said quietly, now smiling.

"I really didn't expect it to go like that. How did you know it would be okay?"

"Because I know people, Adrien. Your father, emotionally repressed though he may be, could not possibly watch the woman he loves crying and _not_ realise how much she means to him."

"So … you're saying all it took was for her to cry in front of him," Adrien said.

"Pity you didn't know that before," Marlene said lightly. "Could have saved you a lot of trouble."

Adrien shook his head. "You don't know Nathalie. She does _not_ cry easily. If that had been my tactic—and it would have been a pretty cruel one—I probably would have spent months trying to figure out how to do it." He leaned back against the wall with another relieved sigh. "Anyway, this was fun. I have zero regrets."

"They're kissing," Jean-Simon announced.

Adrien leaped to his feet and peered out of the kitchen door again. "_Yes!_"

* * *

The next morning, Nathalie was sure it had all been a dream.

_It had to be,_ she thought to herself. _Gabriel can't possibly be in love with me …_

But it had felt so _real_. She refused to open her eyes, wanting desperately to sink back into that state of bliss.

Her alarm going off put pay to that idea. Nathalie glared into her pillow, reached out a hand and silenced it, then opened her eyes and sat up.

"_Adrien!_" she said with an exasperated sigh at the sight of rose petals sprinkled liberally all over her bedcovers.

"It wasn't him this time."

She looked up to see Gabriel smiling at her from the doorway, and immediately panicked, wondering if she had talked at all in her sleep.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he continued, coming in and sitting down on the side of her bed. Her heart leapt as he leaned in and kissed her on her cheek.

"Um …" Her brain seemed to have jammed. _Wait, __was__ it a dream?_

"I'm afraid this was all I could manage on … well, short notice," he said a little sheepishly, gesturing at the rose petals and then passing her a cup of coffee. "I've been up all night working on Jagged Stone's own Valentine's gift."

After a moment of her just staring at him, his smile faded. "Was coming in here … inappropriate? I'm a bit rusty at this."

"A-a bit rusty at … wh-what?"

"Um … dating."

Relief flooded through her at the realisation it _hadn't_ been a dream, and she grabbed him by his collar and kissed him.

"I'll take that as a no," Gabriel said afterwards, sounding pleased.

"I thought I'd dreamed it," Nathalie said.

"You definitely didn't." He kissed her, slower and more tenderly than the kiss a moment ago, and she relished every millisecond. "And I told a slight lie just now. I also have this for you." He took a red envelope out from behind his back.

Nathalie opened it, and found a handmade card inside. He'd drawn her favourite coffee mug, with a heart-shaped stain underneath it. Below that was written _Words cannot espresso how much you mean to me_.

She laughed, and then again when she read the inscription inside. _You are wonderful, Nathalie, and I am so lucky to have you. I love you very much._

"What?"

"Nothing." Adrien knew his style too well. "It's perfect."

"Good," he said, sounding relieved. "When you're making a card at the end of a sleepless night …"

"I have something for you as well," Nathalie said as she remembered.

She opened her bedside drawer, and took out the object she'd made the evening before, after they had got home and Gabriel had gone back into his atelier to work.

He received the intricate origami heart as if it were a priceless work of art. "It's beautiful, Nathalie."

"It opens up here," she showed him, and he unfolded the top carefully.

Inside it said simply _Gabriel, I love you. Happy Valentine's Day._

"I love you too," he said, and kissed her again.

* * *

Despite a night of zero sleep, Gabriel felt energised and as light as a feather. He hadn't been this happy in … he couldn't even _remember_ when he'd last felt like this.

After Nathalie had thrown him out of her room (figuratively) so she could get dressed, he made his way downstairs to find his son already at the breakfast table.

"Morning, Father," Adrien said casually.

"Morning, Adrien," Gabriel said slowly.

Nathalie had filled him in on the details of his son and his friend's antics on their way home last night, and he had to admit he was surprised to find Adrien acting as if it were just any other day and nothing at all momentous had happened yesterday.

Considering the lengths he had gone to, and the fact that Gabriel knew for a fact that Adrien had wanted him and Nathalie together for quite a while, he must be finding feigning obliviousness quite a challenge.

_Well, two can play at that game_, Gabriel thought, hiding a smirk, and sat down. "Would you please pass the newspaper?"

"Of course, Father," Adrien said, and did so.

"Thank you." Gabriel opened it and hid his face behind it, wondering how long his son would be able to bear the pretence.

Adrien lasted longer than he had expected; they were still sitting in silence when Nathalie entered the breakfast room.

"Morning, Nathalie," Adrien said innocently.

"Adrien's playing dumb," Gabriel informed her, folding up the newspaper.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Adrien said, his eyes on his breakfast plate.

"Alright, son. We know what you've been up to; and we know that _you_ know we know."

Adrien finally looked up at them, now grinning. "And?"

"And …" The couple glanced at each other. "… thank you," Nathalie finished.

The doorbell rang.

"That will be Mr Stone," Gabriel said, hurriedly getting to his feet. "He said he'd be by quite early."

He glanced back as he left to room, to see Adrien and Nathalie hugging each other tightly, and it warmed his heart.

**TBC …**


	9. Expression

**AN:** Chapter prompt: Valentine's Day. One chapter to go after this one.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Expression**

"So, how long have you been planning all of this?" Nathalie asked as she and Adrien broke apart.

"Not that long, actually; only a few days. It was such a rush to get everything done."

"And faking your father's handwriting?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, I figured if it was _signed_ as him, that would be a licence for you to mention it to him, and then of course he'd say he hadn't sent it. But if it was anonymous, then even if you said something to him, you might think he was just denying it even though he had sent it. So I had to make you think it was from him in some other way. Um … what gave away the fact that it was forged?"

"The ends of the Xs weren't curled."

"Oh."

"But you should tell Marinette that it was very impressive work."

"I will." Adrien glanced around in the direction of Gabriel's voice. "Excuse me a moment, Nathalie; I have to … tell Father something."

* * *

"They're very impressive, Mr Agreste."

"Thank you."

Jagged took out a gift bag, placed the items carefully in it, and then held it out to Gabriel. "For you."

"Excuse me?"

"To give to Nathalie," Jagged said with a mischievous smile.

"Wh-what?" Gabriel stammered, completely taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"Adrien!" Jagged called. "He needs an explanation!"

Adrien had obviously been listening at the door, for he entered immediately.

"It's like this, Father. I knew you wouldn't have time to get Nathalie a Valentine's Day present, so we … arranged this."

"I … don't understand," Gabriel said slowly.

"Marinette told you to design from the heart," Adrien said patiently. "Take a good long look at what you made, Father."

Gabriel took the items out of the bag with trembling hands, and did as Adrien instructed.

"_Oh_," he finally whispered.

How in the world had he not noticed? When he was staring at his sketches; when he was _creating_ them?

He looked back up at Jagged and Adrien's identical knowing grins. "See?" Adrien said.

Gabriel could only nod.

* * *

Adrien poked his head around the door. "I've got to go to school. See you later, Nathalie."

"Have a good day, Adrien," she said.

"You and Father too." He winked. "Oh, and don't even _think_ about not coming to the party tonight. I don't care what he has to reschedule; you're both coming. Bye!"

He had gone before she could reply.

A few moments later, Gabriel came back in, looking slightly in shock.

"Is everything alright?" Nathalie asked, lowering her cup in concern. "Did Mr Stone like it?"

"Er …" For some reason, he blushed. "It's a bit … complicated … you know what; forget that for a moment." He approached her, took a red gift bag from behind his back and placed it on the table. "Um … happy Valentine's Day?"

Nathalie blinked up at him, very confused. "Didn't we already do this?"

"Open it."

Overcome with curiosity, she did so, and took out … a pair of scarves.

In a flash she remembered Gabriel's words a few days ago. _Jagged Stone wants a pair of 'his and hers' scarves for a Valentine's present_. But apart from the colour scheme, which wasn't too far off what the rock star might wear, these didn't seem like his style at all.

They were beautiful. Nathalie spread them out over a clear section of the table. The material was incredibly soft, the colours bold. The embroidery was intricate and weaved back and forth across the two individual scarves.

One of the scarves was midnight blue, the embroidery magenta. The other was a rich purple, the embroidery creamy white. Both were accented in silver. And the pattern—when Nathalie looked more carefully, her heart leapt. The interlinked hearts were interspersed with what, on closer inspection, looked like abstract butterfly and peacock designs.

"I … I don't understand …?"

"Apparently the object of the exercise was to prompt me into designing something for _you_," Gabriel said, his mouth quirking a little. "It's astonishing what the subconscious comes up with when told to design from the heart."

Nathalie was completely speechless.

"You … do like them?" he asked, now sounding a little worried.

"Gabriel, they're _beautiful_," she half-whispered. "But … aren't you worried about these?"

"About what?"

"The butterflies and peacocks," she said, pointing them out, and his eyebrows rose. "Especially in conjunction with the colour purple."

"I—I didn't even see those," he exclaimed, looking closer.

"You didn't?"

"No—I only saw the colours I had chosen." He glanced up at the magenta streak in her hair, then back down. "The design is very subtle. I don't think anyone would see it unless they knew something. As for the purple—well, _you're_ the one that told me wearing purple brings out the violet hint in my eyes."

Nathalie smiled, picked up the purple scarf, and tenderly wrapped it around his neck. "It does."

He picked up the blue one, and repeated the action on her, then drew her close and kissed her deeply.

* * *

Nooroo's paws were aching, he'd had them clamped over Duusu's mouth for so long. They had both waited for this for months; the last thing either of them wanted now was her emotional happy crying to spoil the mood.

_It worked even better than I hoped_, he thought happily as he watched their two owners gazing adoringly into each other's eyes.

Eventually, however, Gabriel noticed the pair of them tucked away in a corner of the room. Nooroo sent him a sheepish grin.

"You two have been suspiciously quiet since yesterday," Gabriel commented, and Nathalie looked around at them.

In response, Nooroo let the other Kwami go.

"YEEEEEEESSSSSS!" Duusu squealed, rocketing around the room several times before dive-bombing Nathalie with a hug, the force of which almost knocked her over. Nathalie smiled and petted Duusu as she loudly sobbed ecstatic tears.

"She's trying to say we're both very happy for you," Nooroo translated.

"I gathered that," Gabriel said drily.

"Did the pair of you have something to do with this?" Nathalie asked, eyebrows raised.

"Us?" Nooroo said innocently. "How could we have? We were forbidden from letting Adrien see or hear us."

_But not from writing him letters,_ he thought smugly.

* * *

"So … what exactly are you doing?" Gabriel asked as he watched Nathalie arranging piles of cushions and assorted blankets from all over the house.

"You're the creative genius; can't you guess?"

"I have absolutely no idea. But I am enjoying watching you."

She blushed. "You _could_ offer to help."

"I would be happy to, if I had any idea what you were doing."

Nathalie tossed a cushion to him and he caught it. "It's Valentine's Day."

"I know that."

"Traditionally, couples do something special together on Valentine's Day. Especially their first one together."

"Yes …"

"And, well, since you're more comfortable staying in, I thought we should make staying in a bit more special."

"And … it involves cushions and blankets?"

"It does."

As Nathalie moved on from simply sorting materials to actually building, Gabriel cottoned on, and eagerly assisted. Within a short time, the pair of them had built a large pillow fort in the middle of the living-room.

"I used to do this so much as a child," Gabriel said as he strung fairy lights up inside.

"I would never have guessed," Nathalie teased lightly. "I did it a lot as well." She paused. "I don't think Adrien ever has, though."

"The three of us should one day," Gabriel said, as if he had read her mind.

"Definitely. But for today, it's just for us."

* * *

A wicked grin spread across Nathalie's face, unnerving Gabriel, and his jaw dropped as she arranged her Scrabble letters.

"_Quartzy_," she said proudly. "One hundred and sixty-four points to me."

"_How_ many?" Gabriel gasped.

"Feel free to check my maths."

"Is that even a word?"

"Check the dictionary."

He checked both, and groaned. "You are _far_ too good at this game."

"And _you're_ far too good at Trivial Pursuit."

"Good point. I'll stop complaining." Gabriel counted up what was on the board. "I think all the high-scoring tiles have been used."

"Do you give up?"

"Never. I can beat the odds … somehow."

Nathalie chuckled fondly. "I love that you think you stand a chance."

* * *

After a seven-hour day of answering endless questions about the previous night posed by everyone who hadn't been there, Adrien returned home to find the living-room curtains closed.

_Odd_, he thought.

The door was open, and the main lights were off, but he saw some sort of glow. Stepping inside, a smile broke over his face.

A very large, well-made fort had been constructed out of blankets. Judging from the inside glow, the interior was hung with fairy lights. More were strung around the room outside, and the mantlepiece was lined with candles, some of which had gone out. In front of the fireplace was arranged all the bouquets he had sent Nathalie.

"Anyone at home?" Adrien asked, and received silence in return. He and Gorilla glanced at each other, and he moved around the side of the fort to see inside.

Gabriel was sprawled over a mass of cushions, sound asleep, with a blanket tucked around him. Nathalie lay next to him, her head on his chest and her eyes closed. Around them were half a dozen board games, two mostly-empty pizza boxes, an empty wine bottle and two used glasses, an empty macaroon box and a half-empty chocolates box.

"Aww. Seems a shame to wake them," Adrien whispered, and Gorilla nodded.

Nathalie stirred at the sound of his voice. Adrien checked his watch. He _could_ leave them to snooze a bit longer; the party wasn't for another couple of hours.

* * *

It wasn't surprising Gabriel had fallen asleep, after having been working all night, but Nathalie was surprised she had dozed off as well. She had just felt so at peace lying there watching him slumber.

She stretched her limbs a little, being careful not to jostle him, and stifled a yawn.

"Knock, knock."

Nathalie jumped and looked up. Adrien waved at her from outside the fort.

"How long have you been standing there?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Just a few seconds. Though I looked in on you two when I got home from school a while ago. Also I took a photo, because you looked so sweet like that."

Nathalie felt herself blush. "What's the time?"

"Time to wake up, because you can't go to the party dressed like that."

_Party? Oh, that party_. Nathalie looked down at her favourite jeans and sweatshirt. "Point taken. Gabriel?" She placed a hand on his shoulder and gently shook him. "Wake up."

"Hmm …"

"Time to wake up, dear." The 'dear' slipped out as easily as if she had been saying it for years.

"Five more minutes," Gabriel mumbled, attempting to turn over and tumbling off the cushions. "Ouch." He opened bleary eyes. "Nathalie?"

"It's me." She planted a small kiss on his lips, and he instantly looked more awake. "Time to get ready for the party, Gabriel."

"Er … party?"

"The one at his school."

"Oh … that party." Gabriel sat up slowly. "I'm not sure I'm awake enough."

"You're going," Adrien said firmly, folding his arms.

"Adrien? Where did you come from?"

"School. A while ago now. Anyway, you two are expected there."

"Right." Gabriel yawned. "I think I need a coffee first."

"I'll get you one. Nathalie?"

"Yes please, Adrien. That's sweet of you."

"I think I'd better make Father's extra strong."

"Probably a good idea," Gabriel agreed.

**TBC …**


	10. L-O-V-E

**AN:** Aha! Finally finished this chapter. It turned out longer than I expected! A fitting way to end, I think. Disclaimer: I don't own the lyrics to Nat King Cole's "_L-O-V-E_".

Chapter prompts: Party/Balloons

* * *

**Chapter Ten: L-O-V-E**

"You look beautiful," Gabriel told Nathalie on the way. "I wanted to say that yesterday—er, sorry for not being very coherent."

He brushed a strand of her fringe aside, noting how much wearing her hair down suited her, and made a mental note to give her more reason to do so.

"Thank you, Gabriel." She adjusted his scarf slightly. "You look very handsome."

"You two are adorable," Adrien said. Nathalie shushed him as Gabriel felt himself blush.

He had to admit, he was a little wary about this party. When Nathalie had first told him about it, he had found himself considering going, though he hadn't been entirely certain why at the time. Now … now he was fairly sure he had been tempted by the thought of dancing with the woman he hadn't known he had fallen in love with.

_I can't believe how blind I am._

Now they were together, however, he was a bit more anxious. This whole thing was very new and he wasn't sure how ready he was to be a couple at a Valentine's Day party in public. But since it was clearly important to Adrien they both be there, he had agreed. With butterflies in his stomach.

He looked back at Nathalie. She met his eyes and smiled; he felt himself relax a little. She always had that effect on him; could soothe his nerves with just a look or a gentle touch. In this case both, as she lay her hand on his. He placed his other on top, and she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes with a blissful expression on her face.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel saw Adrien grin, raise his phone and snap a photo. Gabriel pressed a gentle kiss on Nathalie's forehead, and heard the camera capture that moment too. It didn't bother him in the least.

The car pulled to a stop outside of the school. Gabriel saw colourful lights and heard music from inside.

He held the car door open for Nathalie, and offered her his arm. She linked hers in his, now beaming.

* * *

"They're outside!" Marinette announced to the crowd, and put her phone back in her pocket. Max held a finger over his watch, ready. Miss Bustier gestured to everyone to start mingling.

The moment Adrien and the new couple walked in the doors, Max started the clock, and Nino very subtly started a new record.

_L is for the way you look at me  
O is for the only one I see  
V is very, very extraordinary  
E is even more than anyone that you adore …_

"Nice touch," Adrien mouthed at him from behind their backs, and Nino sent him a thumbs up back.

If Gabriel and Nathalie noticed that their arrival caused a bit of a stir, they probably didn't think anything of it. After all, Gabriel was both a celebrity and rarely seen in public. Plus they really did _look_ like a couple, arm in arm and sporting their Valentines' couple scarves.

_One of my best ideas,_ Marinette thought proudly. She wasn't even disappointed she hadn't created them herself.

They were both dressed to complement their scarves: Nathalie in a glittering silver dress, and Gabriel had swapped his everyday ensemble for a cream suit with a purple accents.

_Love is all that I can give to you  
Love is more than just a game for two  
Two in love can make it  
Take my heart and please don't break it  
Love was made for me and you_

Both looked slightly nervous, but Adrien immediately started introducing them to people, chatting away to put them at ease.

"Mr Agreste, how lovely to see you again," Miss Bustier said, hurrying to welcome them.

"Thank you—er …"

"Caline Bustier," she said, shaking his hand

"Ah, of course."

She and Nathalie greeted each other with kisses on the cheek. "Thank you both for coming!"

"Caline, about that talk you were going to have with Adrien this morning …?" Nathalie began hesitantly.

"He filled me in." Miss Bustier winked at them. "I'm so glad it worked out. Enjoy the party!"

"How long did you bet?" Alya said in Marinette's ear.

"Five minutes. You?"

"_Really?_ I bet the whole night. They're both as clueless as Adrien."

"Not anymore," Marinette pointed out.

"Oh, yeah … Huh. Maybe I should revise my bet."

"Too late; Max already started the clock."

"Ah, well." Alya looked from her to Adrien. "So, are you going to ask him to dance or what?"

* * *

"Penny!" Nathalie exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Jagged's performing here later in the evening," Penny replied as they exchanged kisses.

"Oh!"

"So, did you two have a good day?" she asked, smirking slightly as she looked across to Gabriel.

"Er …" he stammered, going red.

"Caline told you?" Nathalie asked. "Or … was it Jagged?"

Penny simply winked. "Love the scarves. Snap, by the way." She motioned to her own; a bold design of colourful zigzags forming hearts on a black background.

"Let me guess," Gabriel said. "Miss Dupain-Cheng's work?" _So much for her being too busy with school._ He had to admit, he was quite impressed at how elaborate Adrien's plan had turned out.

"Correct. Jagged said he loved her idea too much to not ask her for a version for us. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Gabriel said.

"Anyway, congratulations. We're very happy for you both."

"Thank you," Nathalie said.

The next people to ambush them were Sabine and Tom Dupain-Cheng. Nathalie warned Gabriel slightly too late that they were both huggers, and broke into giggles at the startled look on his face at being actually lifted off the floor in the strong baker's embrace.

"Tom, dear, don't smother him," Sabine said fondly.

"Ah—sorry," Tom said, putting Gabriel back down quickly.

"That's alright," Gabriel said, gasping slightly.

"It's a pleasure to see you both again. Together," Sabine added pointedly.

Nathalie chuckled slightly. "I really should stop being surprised."

"You know how it is; word gets around," Tom said vaguely. "By the way, I've got a great idea for a wedding cake—"

"TOM!" Sabine admonished as Nathalie and Gabriel both went scarlet. "Sorry; he gets a bit carried away at times." She gave him a gentle slap on the arm.

"Sorry," Tom said sheepishly. "Didn't mean to embarrass you both. Although, if you _did_ happen to have need for—"

"_Tom!_" Sabine dragged him away.

"Er …" Gabriel cleared his throat. "Nathalie, would you like to dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

She took his hand, and they moved onto the dancefloor.

It had been a _long_ time since he had done this, but Gabriel was an excellent dancer, and to him it was just like riding a bike.

With Nathalie in his arms.

She rested her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh. He lost the last of his nervousness as they moved to the music, closing his eyes and just appreciating the moment. The other people around them faded entirely from his thoughts.

Unfortunately the effect was broken after a minute or so as someone accidentally trod on his foot.

Gabriel winced, opening his eyes on automatic, and opened his mouth to rebuke the clumsy teenager, but Nathalie gave his arm a gentle squeeze and he let it go.

Turning his head away, he noticed a large group of people clustered around … was that an ice cream cart? In a gap in the crowd, he glimpsed the man standing behind it, who caught his eye and winked.

"Is that the legendary André Glacier?"

Nathalie lifted her head to see where he was looking. "I don't know. Possibly." She smiled suddenly, and he followed her altered line of vision. Caline Bustier was dancing in the embrace of a man he recognised as their waiter from the previous evening.

"That must be Jean," Nathalie said fondly. "They look very sweet together."

Gabriel glimpsed Chloé Bourgeois staring at the pair of them, her mouth slightly open. The sight was quite comical.

"Is it just me," Nathalie said a moment later, "or are there a lot of people watching us?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," Gabriel replied. Besides him being a famous recluse, they didn't exactly look very platonic right now. He was just wondering whether to give them something to _really_ gawp at and give in to his desire to kiss her, when he spotted the school principal talking to Adrien, Kagami and Marinette. All four seemed to be watching them, but when they noticed him looking, they all quickly turned away, looking suspiciously amused.

Gabriel looked around the room, catching a number of people's eyes.

_Wait a minute …_

"Nathalie," he said, "I think you might be onto something."

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of people are watching us … but no-one looks very _surprised._"

"What were you expecting? People passing out in shock?"

"Well, no; but it's almost as if … they were _expecting_ us to be …"

Nathalie glanced around. "You're right. You don't think Adrien—"

"Did I hear my name?"

They both turned around to see Gabriel's son had crept up on them.

"You did," Nathalie confirmed. "Adrien, what is going on? Did they all already know we—"

Adrien put his fingers in his mouth and made a piercing whistle. The next thing Gabriel knew, a shower of red and silver balloons were falling gently around them as everyone around them let out cheers.

"They figured it out?" the girl from the Ladyblog said eagerly, rushing over.

"It took precisely twelve minutes, seventeen seconds," one of Adrien's other friends said, looking at his watch.

"Congratulations to you both," the principal said enthusiastically.

Gabriel looked at his son, who gave him a sheepish grin. "Adrien, you told _everyone?_"

"Um, yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't exactly _tell_ everyone that you were now a couple, more like … confirmed the plan had worked."

"Wh-what? They _all_ knew?"

"Not everyone here at the party, but everyone who was involved _is_ here at the party."

"And how many people was that?"

"Um …" Adrien started counting on his fingers, then gave up and took out his phone. "There's thirty-two of us on the group chat."

"_Group chat?_"

Adrien grinned and showed Gabriel the screen, headed _Gabenath Shipper Project_.

"What … does that title mean?"

"I'll explain later."

"And all these thirty-two people were?"

"Let's see—there was everyone in my class and some others from school …"

A bunch of schoolchildren, most of whom Gabriel recognised (mostly from akumatizing them and their peers), waved at them.

"… the Tsurugis … the Bourgeois' … Mrs Césaire … Jean-Simon … Mr Damocles … Mrs Mendeleiev … André Glacier … the Dupain-Chengs … Jagged and Penny … and of course Miss Bustier."

"All three of you knew all along?" Nathalie said in amazement.

"Guilty," Penny said.

"But when I told you what Adrien was doing—and said it would never work—"

"We knew otherwise," Caline said. "The atmosphere between the two of you the day you came into my class proved enough. To myself and all the students. We were all eager to help when Adrien told us what he was planning."

* * *

By now both Gabriel and Nathalie were scarlet in the face, and Adrien decided to move the spotlight slightly off them for a moment to give them a moment to process it all.

"By the way," he said to the crowd, "who wrote that letter?"

"Didn't you write it?" Gabriel asked.

"No, I don't mean the letter to Nathalie. I meant the one someone wrote to me."

"To _you?_"

"Yeah; it's what gave me the idea in the first place." He looked around. "Anyone?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"May I see it?" Gabriel asked.

Adrien took the letter out of his pocket and handed it over. Gabriel raised his eyebrows as he saw it had been typed (not very skilfully) on his own letterheaded stationary.

"_To Adrien_," he read out loud. "_Please do something about your father and Nathalie. They are very much in love but neither can see it. We don't think there's any chance they will realise anytime soon, so they need some help from someone who knows them well. They could both be so happy if …_" He glanced at Nathalie. "_… if Mr Gabriel could let go of the past, and Miss Nathalie could see he does return her feelings. With this love holiday coming up, maybe you could find a way to get them together? Love from someone who wishes your family well._"

There was a weird silence after he had finished.

"Do you have any idea who wrote it?" Adrien asked. "I couldn't work it out."

"Er …" Gabriel and Nathalie glanced at each other. "Maybe."

"Who?"

There was an even weirder silence. "I think … that's a conversation for another day," Gabriel said, carefully folding the letter and tucking it in his pocket. "I promise, we'll discuss it."

"Um … okay," Adrien said, puzzled, but he could see that whoever the mysterious letter-writer was, their action had touched them both. Whatever he didn't understand, he trusted he would when the time was right. In the meantime, he was more concerned with celebrating the fact that the plan had actually worked (even if not quite in the way he had expected).

Behind him, he heard a furious whispered "_No! Stop—!"_, followed by a sharp tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Marinette standing there, very red in the face, both her parents and Alya quickly withdrawing. "Um … hi," she squeaked.

"Hi, Marinette. Would you like to dance?"

"_Yes!_ I mean … okay …"

* * *

Now (nearly) everything was out in the open, the attention finally dwindled, and the students and their families moved onto enjoying themselves, leaving Nathalie and Gabriel free to do the same.

Making a mental note to thank Duusu and Nooroo when they got home, Nathalie closed her eyes again and lost herself once more in her dream come true.

She couldn't remember when she had ever been this happy. Even before she had fallen for Gabriel; even before all of the things that had led up to his becoming Hawk Moth … love of any kind had been thin on the ground in her life. She had envied the Agrestes simply for what they had had with each other, and scolded herself for how unprofessionally fond she had become of Adrien. Those emotions had been painful even before tragedy had struck.

But now …

Now the two people she loved most in the world, had worked so hard for and risked so much to make happy again, _were_ happy. And not because of admittedly questionable choices made by a supervillain, but in the way she'd secretly desired for months but never imagined could be possible.

It was no wonder she still kept questioning if she was dreaming.

"I love you," Nathalie murmured without opening her eyes.

Gabriel's arms around her tightened slightly. "I love you too."

She would never, ever not fall into ecstasy at hearing him say those words.

Nathalie opened her eyes again for a moment, just to satisfy herself that she was still awake and this was all real, and her eyes fell on a teenage couple dancing nearly. She smiled and nudged Gabriel. "Look at Adrien and Marinette."

He turned. "Are those two …"

"No, I don't think so," Nathalie replied. "Yet. I think Adrien takes after you too much in the romantic awareness area."

"Hey!"

"I'm starting to wonder if maybe we should give them a little assist."

Gabriel raised his eyebrows. "Like they did to us, you mean?"

"Not _exactly_ like that, obviously, or they'll see through it straight away. But I'm sure we could think of something. They make a sweet couple, don't you think?"

"I suppose they do."

Adrien caught them looking, smiled and waved. Nathalie waved back.

Even though she'd known his intentions for days, she was still struggling to process how much work he'd put into this, the lengths he had gone to—even roping just about everyone he knew into it—to get her and Gabriel together. Now Nathalie was no longer distracted by worrying how it could go wrong, her anxiety had given way to an emotion she couldn't express at the realisation of how much Adrien had _wanted_ them to be together. It felt like the biggest compliment of all time.

It was probably far too early in her and Gabriel's relationship to think of herself as Adrien's 'mother'. But now she felt free to admit to herself that she felt like one already.

Despite their consistently rocky relationship, which had been at an all-time low for over a year, Gabriel and Adrien seemed much more at ease around each other than she'd seen them for a long time … possibly ever. Adrien's plan wasn't just a compliment to her, it was one to his father as well; saying that no matter what, he loved Gabriel enough to do all this for his happiness.

_Happy families,_ Nathalie thought with a small smile, closing her eyes again. It sounded insane that the three of them could be a family, let alone a _happy_ one … but they really were.

_Pinch me._

**The End**

* * *

**AN:** Okay, so I can confirm I _**will**_ be expanding on this universe. At this present moment I can't guarantee what might be posted, and when. Before I get started on any of my ideas, I think I should really try and finish my other posted Miraculous WIPs.

Any companion fics or sequels will be labelled either as sequels for this fic or "Shipper Projects Universe" in the summary.


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